aira

red, copper-coloured, ruddy

aira (1) adj. "red, copper-coloured, ruddy" (GAY)

carnë

red

carnë adj. "red", "scarlet, red" (SA:caran, PE17:154, MC:214, KARÁN - spelt with a k in the two latter sources), not to be confused with the past tense of car- "do, make". Stem carni- as in Carnimírië, Carnistir.

merya

festive

merya adj. "festive" (MBER)

nasar

red

nasar adj. "red" (in Vanyarin Quenya only). Adopted and adapted from Valarin. (WJ:399)

carne (carni-)

adjective. red

faug

adjective. gape, [N.] thirsty, [S.] gape

An adjective for “thirsty” appearing in names like Anfauglir “Jaws of Thirst”.

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s the word for “thirsty” was G. luib (GL/55) clearly based on the early root ᴱ√LOYO (QL/56). By Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s, the word had become ᴱN. faug “thirsty” (PE13/143), and N. faug “thirsty” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√PHAU̯ “gape” (Ety/PHAU). Christopher Tolkien gave faug the gloss “gape” in The Silmarillion appendix (SI/faug), but that seems to refer to the root meaning from the 1930s.

Derivations

• √PHAW “emit (foul breath), *breath, puff of breath, breath, puff of breath; blow, emit (foul breath); [ᴹ√] gape”
  • √PHA “exhalations (as mists upon water or steams and the like)”

Element in

• S. Anfauglir “Jaws of Thirst” ✧ SA/faug
• S. Anfauglith “Gasping Dust” ✧ SA/faug
• S. Dor-nu-Fauglith “Land under Choking Ash” ✧ SA/faug

Variations

• faug- ✧ SA/faug

gaer

adjective. red, copper-coloured, ruddy

caran

adjective. red

caran

red

_ adj. _red, ruddy. >> Caradhras

caran

adjective. red

Cognates

• Q. carnë “red, scarlet” ✧ PE17/036; SA/caran

Derivations

• ✶karani “red” ✧ VT41/10

Element in

• ᴺS. amosgarn “robin, (lit.) red-breast”
• S. Caradhras “Redhorn”
• S. caralluin “*red-blue”
• S. Caran-rass “Redhorn” ✧ PE17/036; SA/caran
• S. Caranthir “Red-face” ✧ SA/caran; VT41/10
• S. Carcharoth “Red Maw, ?(lit.) Great Red Fang”
• S. Cardolan “?Red Hill Land”
• S. Carn Dûm “?Red Valley”
• S. Carnen “Redwater”
• ᴺS. melingarn “orange, tawny”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶carani- > caran	[karani] > [karane] > [karan]	✧ VT41/10

gelir

noun. merry, happy, gay person

gelir

masculine name. Merry

Sindarin translation of the name of Sam’s son Merry, appearing in Tolkien’s unpublished epilogue to The Lord of the Rings and in the King’s Letter (SD/126, 129). Most likely this name is an elaboration of [N.] gell “joy”.

Conceptual Development: In drafts of the epilogue, this name was initially (rejected) Riben (SD/117).

Element in

• S. ar Iorhael, Gelir, Cordof, ar Baravorn, ionnath dîn “and Frodo, Merry, Pippin and Hamfast his sons” ✧ AotM/062; SD/129

gelir

adjective. merry

Sindarin translation of the name of Sam’s son Merry, appearing in Tolkien’s unpublished epilogue to The Lord of the Rings and in the King’s Letter from the early 1950s (SD/126, 129). This word is apparently an adjective, most likely an elaboration of [N.] gell “joy”. In Didier Willis’s Sindarin Dictionary, it is suggested this word might instead be a noun, an agental formation meaning “✱merry person” (HSD/gelir).

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s, the word for “merry” was G. dairog (GL/29), likely derived from ᴱ√TYALA “play”. This was revised to G. dairion in the “Gnomish Lexicon Slips” (PE13/112) and again to ᴱN. gair in Early Noldorin word lists from the 1920s (PE13/141, 143). This last change probably also reflects a new root, though exactly what this root might be is unclear. There isn’t a clear connection between these early forms and later gelir beyond a superficial resemblance of form.

Element in

• S. Gelir “Merry” ✧ SD/129

Elements

Word	Gloss
gell	“joy, triumph, (?victory), joy, triumph”

Variations

• Gelir ✧ SD/129

ruin

adjective. (fiery) red

born

red

(hot), lenited vorn, pl. byrn

coll

red

(scarlet), lenited goll, pl. cyll (VT45:15, 24). Note: homophones mean "hollow" and also "cloak".

meren

festive

meren (lenited veren; pl. merin) (gay, joyous). Note: In the Etymologies, Tolkien changed the relevant root from _ to

meren

festive

(lenited veren; pl. merin) (gay, joyous). Note: In the Etymologies, Tolkien changed the relevant root from MER to MBER so that meren became beren, but names occurring in Tolkien’s narratives (Mereth Aderthad, Merethrond) were not changed, so this revision was never fully implemented. (If meren were to become beren, the related word mereth ”feast” would also become bereth.)

rhosc

red

(russet, brown), lenited ?throsc or ?rosc *(the lenition product of rh is uncertain)*, pl. rhysc. Cf. also

meren

gay

meren (lenited veren; pl. merin) (festive, joyous). Note: In the Etymologies, Tolkien changed the relevant root from _ to

meren

gay

(lenited veren; pl. merin) (festive, joyous). Note: In the Etymologies, Tolkien changed the relevant root from MER to MBER so that meren became beren, but names occurring in Tolkien’s narratives (Mereth Aderthad, Merethrond) were not changed, so this revision was never fully implemented. (If meren were to become beren, the related word mereth ”feast” would also become bereth.)

gaer

red, reddish

(copper-coloured, ruddy); lenited ’aear; no distinct pl. form. (This is a suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” goer.) Note: homophones mean "dreadful, awful, fearful; holy" and also "sea".

naru

red

(analogical pl. nery). The archaic fom narw is also listed (LR:374 s.v. NAR1).

meren

adjective. festive, gay, joyous

Derivations

• ᴹ√M(B)ER “*feast, festive”

caran

red

1) caran (lenited garan, pl. cerain). Also carn (lenited garn, pl. cern), 2) coll (scarlet), lenited goll, pl. cyll (VT45:15, 24). Note: homophones mean "hollow" and also "cloak". 3) born (hot), lenited vorn, pl. byrn, 4) (fiery red) naru (analogical pl. nery). The archaic fom narw is also listed (LR:374 s.v. _NAR_1). 5) rhosc (russet, brown), lenited ?throsc or ?rosc (the lenition product of rh is uncertain), pl. rhysc. Cf. also

caran

red

(lenited garan, pl. cerain). Also carn (lenited garn, pl. cern)

crann

ruddy

(lenited grann, pl. crain).

gelir

merry

(attested as the S equivalent of the name Merry) gelir (lenited elir; no distinct pl. form).

gelir

merry

(lenited ’elir; no distinct pl. form).

nétha

adjective. gay, lively, girlish

Derivations

• ✶nēthā “gay, lively, girlish” ✧ VT47/32
  • √NETH “(young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry, (young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry; [ᴹ√] young” ✧ VT47/32

Variations

• nēþa ✧ VT47/32

nasar

adjective. red

(ñ)gay

root. gape, become wide, open, vast

A root appearing in notes on words and phrases from The Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s, serving as an explanation for √GAY(AR) “sea” (PE17/27). Its gloss was “gape, become wide, open, vast”, but elsewhere “sea” words were generally attached to roots meaning “awe, dread”, so I think this was likely a transient idea. See the entry on √GAY(AR) for further discussion.

Derivatives

• Q. naira “vast, wide, empty” ✧ PE17/027

Elements

Word	Gloss
GAY(AR)	“awe, dread; astound, make aghast; sea”

Variations

• GAY ✧ PE17/027; PE17/153
• ÑGAY ✧ PE17/027; PE17/153; PE17/169

nēthā

adjective. gay, lively, girlish

Derivations

• √NETH “(young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry, (young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry; [ᴹ√] young” ✧ VT47/32

Derivatives

• T. nétha “gay, lively, girlish” ✧ VT47/32

Variations

• nēthā ✧ VT47/32

karani

adjective. red

Derivatives

• Q. carnë “red, scarlet” ✧ PE22/152
• S. caran “red” ✧ VT41/10

Element in

• ✶Karani-stīrē ✧ VT41/10

Variations

• karanĭ ✧ PE21/81
• karnĭ ✧ PE21/81
• carani- ✧ VT41/10

goer

adjective. red, copper-coloured, ruddy

naru

adjective. red

naru

adjective. red, [fiery] red

Derivations

• ᴹ✶narwā “fiery red” ✧ Ety/NAR¹
  • ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire” ✧ Ety/NAR¹

Element in

• N. Narodûm “Red Valley”
• N. Narosîr “Redway”
• N. Nerwing “Red Foaming Waters” ✧ Ety/NAR¹

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶narwā > narw > naru	[narwā] > [narwa] > [narw] > [naru]	✧ Ety/NAR¹

narw

adjective. red

beren

adjective. festive, gay, joyous

Changes

• meren → beren “festive” ✧ Ety/MBER

Cognates

• ᴹQ. merya “festive” ✧ Ety/MBER

Derivations

• ᴹ√M(B)ER “*feast, festive” ✧ Ety/MBER; Ety/MBER

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ√MBER > beren	[mberina] > [berina] > [berena] > [beren]	✧ Ety/MBER
ᴹ√MER > meren	[merina] > [merena] > [meren]	✧ Ety/MBER

Variations

• beren ✧ Ety/MBER
• meren ✧ Ety/MBER (meren)

meren

adjective. festive, gay, joyous

The word was changed to beren in the Etymologies, but meren would be restored together with mereth

caran

adjective. red

caran

adjective. red

Changes

• caran → caran “red, blush, red (?part) of face” ✧ Ety/KARÁN

Cognates

• ᴹQ. karne “red” ✧ Ety/KARÁN; EtyAC/KARÁN

Derivations

• ᴹ✶karani “red” ✧ Ety/KARÁN; EtyAC/KARÁN
  • ᴹ√KARAN “red” ✧ Ety/KARÁN

Element in

• N. Caradras “Redhorn”
• N. Rhascaron “Redhorn”
• N. Carnbeleg “Ruddyhorn”
• N. Bliscarn
• N. Caron-dûn “Red Valley” ✧ RS/419
• N. Rathcarn “Red Way”
• N. Cris-caron “Red Pass” ✧ RS/419

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶karani > caran	[karani] > [karane] > [karan]	✧ Ety/KARÁN
ᴹ✶karani > cern	[karani] > [karni] > [kerni] > [kern]	✧ EtyAC/KARÁN

Variations

• cern ✧ EtyAC/KARÁN (cern)
• Caron ✧ RS/419
• caron ✧ RS/419

caron

adjective. red

riben

masculine name. Merry

Changes

• Riben → Gelir “Merry” ✧ SD/117
• Riben → Gelir “Merry” ✧ SDI1/Gelir
• Riben → Gelir “Merry” ✧ SDI1/Riben

coll

adjective. (golden) red